Jan 6 5 Training Predictions for 2018

Another year is upon us! While trying to get back in the low-carb groove after a week or so of binging, it’s time to ponder what the trends might be this coming year. Some may be pretty obvious, others less so. So without further ado:

1. Sexual Harassment Training will see a surge in demand.

Recent headlines may (finally) mean that companies do more than just “check the box” when it comes to training on workplace harassment. Hopefully this means more than having managers sit and watch a video for a half hour.

2. The new buzzword will be AI.

I hate fads. From Second Life to gamification to social learning… this year’s new word will be the use of AI or machine learning and the use of bots in training. I think it’s still several years away from really working well, and even then perhaps only for companies with deep pockets, but we’ll see. At any rate, the premise is true - we should always be looking for smart and effective ways to make training stick with our people.

3. E-Learning abuse will rise.

There are some topics that e-learning is not suited for. How can you teach topics that are interpersonal by nature, such as sales, customer service or leadership, through a non-personal medium? As interactive as online training strives to be, it’s just not. The drive to cut costs via the use of online training means these programs will suffer.

4. Don’t call it “Microlearning”, but…

This is good news and bad news. Microlearning is the idea of breaking down self-paced training into small chunks, each no more than a couple of minutes in duration and that can generally be taken in any order. I love this idea. The bad news is don’t call it “microlearning”, which has been trademarked by Grovo. Call it "Chunklearning" before I trademark it.

5. LMSs will continue to annoy

A recurring theme, CLOs and CHROs continue to learn that their Learning Management Systems are money pits, a pain to use, and difficult to integrate into their systems and culture. Ever had to offer training to employees on how to use the training system? Consider than an omen. Don’t get me wrong, LMSs can be awesome; if you have LMS and it’s working for your company, bully for you. Otherwise, don’t be afraid to cut your losses.